STOVE TOP WHITE MACARONI AND CHEESE

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Macaroni and cheese, or so fondly referred to as mac n’ cheese is a dish loved by one and all; it’s creamy, cheesy and comforting. I’m a lover of cheese so this is right up my alley.

This is a simple recipe that will be on your table in less than 30 minutes so it’s perfect for the midweek craving. You know, when you just have to have it but you don’t want to spend an hour waiting for it to bake nor eat the box stuff.

The combination of seriously sharp white cheddar cheese, creamy provolone and parmesan cheese was out of this world! According to my husband, he didn’t even remember the rest of the meal, it was that good.

Creamy Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese

16 oz box of macaroni, cooked according to directions

8 oz sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz provolone cheese, shredded

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

2 cups milk

¼ tsp Dijon mustard

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp white pepper

½ tsp cayenne pepper

In a large pot over low heat, melt butter then add flour and stir to combine. Cook for a minute stirring frequently then add milk slowly and whisk to combine until smooth. Cook over low heat until milk thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Add mustard, salt, white pepper, cayenne pepper, cheddar, provolone and parmesan and stir until it melts. Add the pasta to the sauce and cook for an additional minute. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes so the sauce can thicken. Serve!

Howie! This looks amazing. I’m sure it is amazing and I’m SO GLAD to see cayenne pepper in list of ingredients. Cayenne is the secret to unlocking truly cheesy flavor in cheese dishes. Alfredo, Mac n cheese, any dish with cheese in it needs to have that splash of cayenne. It is the secret ingredient! Will be making this soon!

I made this tonight for my family and it was a hit. I followed it exactly as written. Next time I make it I will add sauce to the pasta in batches. Although the cheese sauce was awesome there was too much cheese sauce for the amount of pasta. I will make it again.

Did you get your macaroni right out of a box of Kraft “Macaroni & Cheese”? And, if not, then exactly *what* “box” of macaroni product are you referring to? Just curious. If it is indeed the Kraft box of Mac N’ Cheese, then why, I must ask? Why not some much better macaroni product than that, which you can purchase separately? You can purchase small elbow macaroni in a bag that tastes much superior to the stuff in a box of Kraft Mac N’ Cheese, in my opinion.

After $35 worth of ingredients and 30 min later , we sat down to eat this and 2 people literally spit the first bite back into the bowl. Needless to say the rest was dumped in the trash. The sauce had some kind of gritty texture.

James, I’m sorry to that. It is important that the pot is on the lowest heat possible when adding the cheese, overcooking the cheese will cause the sauce to become grainy. It it also important to not cook the macaroni and cheese for more than a minute after adding the cheese and pasta. I hope I’ve helped, thanks for the feedback.

This was pretty good. I couldn’t find Provolone anywhere in the grocery store (and I live in Wisconsin – what gives?!) so I used a Mozzarella-Provolone blend instead. I think it would be better with straight Provolone because I didn’t care too much for the Mozzarella taste. Someone commented about it being “grainy” and I think that’s just from the Parmesan which doesn’t melt down as well as other cheeses. I notice the same thing with the alfredo sauces I make and I actually like the texture. I would try this again if I could find “straight” Provolone.

This is your basic white sauce (flour/butter/milk/salt and pepper), which has many uses according to what seasonings you add to it. Mustard and cayenne for cheese sauce, a bit of thyme and half chicken broth for the liquid for chicken casserole/pot pie, just salt and pepper for creamed spinach/peas/etc. Then you dump in cheese and melt it. When I’m using cheese I turn off the heat before adding the cheese–add about 1/3 to “temper” the sauce, then dump in the rest and stir. I don’t get what confuses people about a “box of macaroni”. There are dozens of brands from Golden Grain to Barilla. Cook it according to the directions right there on the side of the box. Drain. Stir in the sauce. Mix and serve. Couldn’t be easier. Oh, and I’m sure you used the fresh-grated parmesan (which melts wonderfully) rather than that awful dried-out shaker stuff. Perhaps that’s what gives the grainy texture that some people are complaining about.